Inder's Reviews > Homeward Bound: Why Women are Embracing the New Domesticity

I found this to be an interesting, but definitely ... er ... challenging read. Interesting in the discussion of the role of the "new domesticity" in our current economy and current attitudes towards feminism. Challenging because the home-cooking, sewing, gardening people she's talking about, often with a tone of not-so-subtle condescension, sound a whole lot like me! No one likes to be told that their favorite activities are just the latest fad, and I'm no exception! So I found myself squirming and feeling defensive and put-off quite a lot while reading this.

Nonetheless, it is definitely a thought-provoking discussion of a major movement, and I appreciated the feminist and economic analysis of this cultural trend. It's true that bad economies have historically brought "back-to-the-home" movements - the 30s, the 70s, today. It's also true that many young and young-ish people these days are pretty discouraged and disheartened with their career opportunities, and domesticity can be a respite from a crappy economy and crappy opportunities. It is further absolutely important to note that while feminism is all about "choice," the choice to be a homemaker may often be influenced by the fact that the economy is craptastic, good jobs are impossible to find, and daycare is insanely expensive. To some extent, therefore, it's not a real "choice" - it's parents making the best of their situations. Which isn't to say it's not awesome in many respects for many women - but the fact is, it's mostly women staying home, and not having earning power does put women at a disadvantage in their partnerships, no matter how unpleasant it is to acknowledge or discuss this out loud. So the forces that are sending women back to the home are not all "celebrating and reclaiming the home" - there may be some darker ramifications too.

So the author has some really really good points. I did find it unfortunate that her examples of the "new domesticity" were fairly stereotyped, and there was little discussion of folks like me, who were raised in a more "DIY/back-to-the-land" culture and thus see much of our cooking/sewing/gardening as more of a continuation than a reaction against our parents. There is also precious little discussion of folks (also like me) who are full time professionals but really enjoy doing these things in our spare time, not for money. I know you can't cover everyone, but it would have been nice to see a bit more breadth.

Overall, thought-provoking, even if she did make me feel like I'm a slave to fashion!